Club d'Elf Never Ceases to Impress by Suze, posted March 18, 2014

I've seen Club d'Elf perform a half dozen times at this point; each show is different and equally amazing. The lineup changes each week, with the only constant I've observed being Mike Rivard who plays bass and sintir. Club d'Elf has a regular bi-weekly gig at Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, a venue I have grown to love. It is small – capacity of 85 people – and has a great beer list, great sound, and a great vibe.

Last Friday, the members included Mike, Dean Johnston on drums, Vicente Lebron on percussion, Mister Rourke on turntables, Yauré Muniz on trumpet, and David Tronzo on slide guitar. This lineup is one I particularly enjoy. Tronzo is one of the finest, if not the finest, slide guitarists around and I always love watching him play. At one point during the first number, David's guitar and Yauré's trumpet 'talked' to each other and that was a thrill to witness. Their eye contact was intense as was the 'conversation.' I can't wait to listen to it again when the recording of the show is available on archive.org (as of this writing, it is not).

Everyone contributes to the performance in their own way; even though their backgrounds might be different, they mesh extremely well. Sometimes I enjoy closing my eyes and allowing the music to wash over me. Other times, such as on Friday, I want to watch. I particularly marvel at their accessories; David uses all kinds of tubular objects as slides, including plastic bottles, while Mike will put alligator clips on some of his bass strings.

Unfortunately I was only able to stay for the first set, during which they played a length number written, I believe, by David and a short number to end the set. This is a collective that is well worth seeing, especially if you can stay up late on a Friday night (they don't start playing until around 10 p.m.)! Their sets are magical and always different.